Betfair Review

It was back in 1999 when the betting world was turned on its head, due to the introduction of the online Betting exchange and more importantly Betfair. Back then Betfair was a small upstart, looking to make some headway in a market dominated by traditional bookmakers. Nowadays Betfair is the company all the others are trying to keep up with, as it has become a truly global phenomenon. Betfair was recognised for it achievements in 2003 by being awarded the Queens award for Enterprise in the innovation category, impressive stuff!

For those that aren’t aware, Betfair was the pioneer of the ‘Betting Exchange’. Allowing everyday customers to place bets against one another. Betfair claim that by betting in this way odds are an estimated 20 per cent better than traditional bookmakers. Betfair have constantly pushed forward with the business introducing more markets, more features and more betting possibilities than any other company. Experts estimate Betfair’s share of the betting exchange market could be as much as 90 per cent worldwide.

Features - 9/10Betfair has one of the largest selections of markets we have ever seen, and it is difficult to find sports they have not got available. They also offer bets on non sporting events all round Europe, especially TV reality shows. One of our favourite features on the site is the ‘where is the money?’ button. By clicking this link you get a full list of where bets on the site are being made, starting at the top with the most frequent. We also liked the online forum, where you can talk to other users on the site and get information, advice and knowledge. Although don’t be fooled into thinking that everyone is there to help you.

The site is simple to navigate and easy to use, giving users more time to think about bets. It can be a bit slow at times, especially when big events are on. However this is a rarity and Betfair has invested wisely in its technology over the years to prevent such annoyances occurring.

Promos/Odds - 8/10As mentioned earlier, the odds are greatly increased as you are not betting against a professional bookmaker, but against other peers. Betfair estimate that punters at Betfair can enjoy up to 20 per cent better odds than you get at the traditional bookies. Your only concern is the commission that Betfair take on bets, which can be up to 5 per cent.

Transactions - 8.5/10All major debit and credit cards accepted as well as money transfer services. There is a 1.5 per cent charge on Credit Card deposits. Withdrawals are usually made onto your registered card and take 1-2 days for Debit Cards and 3-5 days for credit cards. Cheques and money transfer can take up to 10 days to arrive. Betfair takes a commission on your net winnings, that’s how it exists. This starts at 5 per cent and reduces down as your profit increases, this is higher than other betting exchanges, but hey this is Betfair!

Betfair uses DataCash and RBS as secure payment partners and has been given the BT Trustwise Secure Server Certificate for its top notch data protection systems.

Customer Service - 8/10Both an email and phone service are available and operate 24/7, however the phone no is not free. We contacted Betfair via email on a number of occasions and received responses usually within 1 hour, which is pretty quick. Staff are knowledgeable and helpful and are questions were usually satisfied within one contact.